Windows 8 All-in-One

[jongthechemist]

Hi guys. I'm currently searching for the best all-in-one Windows 8 PC that can replace my current AIO, HP Pavilion ms229. I'm an engineering student, using mostly Office but most of my heavier software needs are personal. I'm a windows phone developer at night so I use Visual Studio and Photoshop a lot. I'd also like to revisit my passion of video editing/manipulation on after effects. RIght now I'm eyeing the Lenovo ideacentre a730 priced at around 1700 euros with 27 inch, quadHD screen, 4 generation core i7, nvidia geforce gt745. It is really at the limit of my budget.

I want to get some opinion on working on a large screen, whether it is really productive or necessary (I have a second screen, 21 inch) or if it is really needed at that very high resolution. FYI, the a730 is also available in full HD resolution for 300 euros less. That means a lot less pixel density which I'm worried about.
Or am I better off with a smaller AIO at 23 inch and just save some (or a lot) of my money for other stuff.
Or i7 is really not much better than i5?

I'm really looking to find the best AIO for my nights working on side projects and not be frustrated by certain shortcomings that might come from not having the best windows PC can offer. I appreciate all of your opinion!

 

[Qtweeder]

i have about the same budget to play with, i have had several AIO's and am wanting something that truly consolidates the all-in-one principle this time

i think i am going to change it up this go and get an SP3 @ 256GB / i7 / 8GB - that comes in roughly on budget and i can add a dock and use it as main pc and connect it to my existing 32" hdmi screen, and simply walk away with the same unit when i want to be portable!

sell my crappy android tablet to fund the dock, as will use the sp3 as tablet....dunzo!

admittedly having recently stopped gaming and graphically intense stuff i can go down this route, but appreciate you may require more graphics power and screen real estate

 

[jongthechemist]

i have about the same budget to play with, i have had several AIO's and am wanting something that truly consolidates the all-in-one principle this time

i think i am going to change it up this go and get an SP3 @ 256GB / i7 / 8GB - that comes in roughly on budget and i can add a dock and use it as main pc and connect it to my existing 32" hdmi screen, and simply walk away with the same unit when i want to be portable!

sell my crappy android tablet to fund the dock, as will use the sp3 as tablet....dunzo!

admittedly having recently stopped gaming and graphically intense stuff i can go down this route, but appreciate you may require more graphics power and screen real estate

That's a great plan. I'm also thinking of getting a Surface Pro 3 but that will be funded by selling my Surface 2 and Macbook Pro. I want to reduce the number of devices I have around. For that I'll be getting the i5 version or maybe just the i3 since the AIO will be my main work station.

 

[rdubmu]

You can get a sp3 and the docking station. Can hook it up to a HD monitor

 

[berty6294]

The Lenovo you are referring to is absolutely stunning! I've played with a couple of them. I don't exactly like suggestion AIO for three reasons. First, you pay more for less. Second, I have seen far too many faulty AIO even just right out of the box (usually the touch screen is defective rendering the whole thing useless). Third, they are a real pain in the buttocks to repair/upgrade.

That being said, if its GOT to be an AIO, the lenovo is my favorite out of every one I have laid my eyes on.

 

[jongthechemist]

I'm very satisfied with my current AIO that I've never thought about all those problems. My HP AIO allows user to easily change certain components like ram, hard drive, wireless card, etc. After four years, only the optical drive is defective. I can change it very easily. I'm not sure how easy it is to access components in the Lenovo a730. But I do see your point especially when compared to tower PC. That's why I'm also keeping an eye on the HP z1 workstation which is a beast. Right now I have those two plus the Dell XPS 27 and Apple iMac 27 on my list.